Monophthong

A monophthong (/ˈmɒnəfθɒŋ, ˈmɒnəp-/ MON-əf-thong, MON-əp-) is a pure vowel sound, or one whose articulation at beginning and end is relatively fixed, not gliding up or down towards a new position of articulation. A monophthong can be contrasted with a diphthong, where the vowel quality changes (glides from one quality to another) within the same syllable, and with hiatus, where two vowels are next to each other but in different syllables. A vowel sound whose quality does not change over the duration of the vowel is called a pure vowel. The word comes from Ancient Greek μονόφθογγος (monóphthongos) 'one sound'. from μόνος (mónos) 'single' and φθόγγος (phthóngos) 'sound')

Sound changes

Main articles: Monophthongization and Vowel breaking

The conversions of monophthongs to diphthongs (diphthongization), and of diphthongs to monophthongs (monophthongization), are major elements of language change and are likely the cause of further changes.

In some languages, due to monophthongization, graphemes that originally represented diphthongs now represent monophthongs.

See also

• Diphthong, also known as a vowel cluster
• Vowel hiatus
• Index of phonetics articles
• Table of vowels
• Semivowel
• Triphthong
• Vowel
• Vowel breaking